Bluebell flames
by Xoine
Summary: After a series of unfortunate events, Christine Tonks (the orphaned daughter of Lily and James Potter) was taken in by Andromeda and Edward Tonks as their own. Kept under the watchful eye of her mother, Christine knows nothing more than the house she's lived in, its surrounding fields, her family and a couple of her sister's friends until she received her letter from Hogwarts…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - The world of Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and various publishers. I make no claim of ownership except for the characters that I've created.**

**Backstory is going to take years to write only because my perfectionist side is taking over.**

**Fanfiction is so confusing o.o (yes, I'm a newb)**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

Chapter 1.

Sirius twirled his wand between his middle and index finger as he gazed into the flickering flames in an attempt to tear his mind away from the uncomfortable feeling that suggested that something bad was going to happen. It was a feeling that he had become unwillingly familiar with ever since Lord Voldemort had risen to power but more especially in the past year where the threat of attack grew too close for comfort. James and Lily were the Dark Lord's latest target. Sirius had known them since his very first day at Hogwarts – they had met on the Hogwarts Express along with that Slytherin boy, Snivellus. Sirius scrunched his nose at the thought. That little prick had become a Death Eater; one of _his_ little minions. He couldn't understand why Lily had been friends with him for so long nor what good she saw in him, but then again, Lily had a kind and gentle soul; something you don't find often in this world, and James was extremely lucky to have her as his wife. Yes, they were perfect together, he thought. He remembered the wedding and the joy on their faces. He remembered seeing little Harry and Christine for the first time and felt extremely blessed to be their godfather. They would have lived a happy life – James, Lily, Harry, Christine, everyone for that matter! They would have all lived happy and worry-free lives if only it weren't for that blasted insane lunatic!

The flames shot up and licked the bricks at the top of the fireplace, hissing loudly as if they were in a furious rage. Sirius snapped out of his thoughts and loosened his grip on his wand that was being crushed by the palm of his hand subconsciously. As soon as the wand was free from its constraints, the flames began to die down and returned to its gentle flickering. Sirius stood up and took a few steps away from the fireplace while taking several deep breaths and pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He needed to work on his temper, a trait that he had inherited from his mother which he disliked but so far couldn't control. He threw his wand at a nearby couch. Control. It was something that seemed to escape him these days and he absolutely hate it. It was driving him insane! Day by day the threat was growing stronger and stronger as more and more people are slaughtered or disappeared and it appeared that this trend was not going to end anytime soon. The Order needs to fight back! They needed to act now!

He needed to act now.

But first, he needed to check up on Peter. Sirius' grey eyes flicked towards the clock ticking on the wall to the left of the fireplace. Peter would most likely be at his house eating dinner at this time of the evening. Sirius picked up his wand, grabbed his cloak from the coat hanger and headed outside where his motorcycle was waiting. Yes, he could easily just have disapparated but there was nothing more therapeutic than flying, especially on an enchanted flying motorcycle. Nothing could compare to the cool wind burning against his cheeks, the gentle purring of the engine and the wild flapping of his cloak. Nothing could compare to being on a spiced up muggle vehicle – oh the adventure! He felt instantly refreshed and exhilarated in the air above it all. He felt like he was in his own private world amongst the clouds and liquid gold and rose sky. This was how life was meant to be. Beautiful. Free.

Nearing his destination, Sirius began to descend onto the dirt road that led into the small village where Peter resided. As he rumbled towards through the village centre, he could feel that all the muggles had their eyes on him and he couldn't blame them – it wasn't often do they see a shiny modern motorbike nor a mysterious handsome dark haired man in a small quaint farming community. Sirius cut the engine when he arrived outside a small, out-of-the-way cottage at the back of the village. It looked rather ordinary with its thriving front garden, weathered stone walls and fading thatch roof, and it was a little lacking in comparison to the other nicer and newer houses in the village and a little dark…

Sirius pulled out his wand and circled the building as the uncomfortable sensation returned. The air seemed to chill as there was no sign that Peter was home. He returned to the front door and inspected the hinges with the aid of the light from his wand. Everything seemed intact. He twisted the tarnished brass handle. The door was locked. It was unusual for the timid man to leave the safety of his home at this hour. Maybe he was home. Maybe he was sleeping. Sirius knocked on the door three times and called Peter's name. There was no response. There was no flicker of a light turning on. There was no sign of life from within. There was nothing. What on earth was that man up to? Sirius firmly gripped his wand and unlocked the door which let out one long moan as it opened.

"Homenum revelio."

Still nothing. Peter had truly disappeared.

With a wave of his wand, the lights turned on and he expected to see a world of chaos before him but instead he was greeted with the sight of order – the dishes were stacked in the sink unwashed, that morning's Daily Prophet laid folded on the birch dining table and Peter's bed was unmade. Sirius crouched in front of the fireplace and dipped his fingers into the ashes. It was still warm. He was here not long ago. Wormtail! Where could that stupid rat have gone?

James.

Sirius wiped his fingers on his cloak and rushed towards his motorcycle, swinging his leg over it as he revved up the engine. Not caring about how loud he was or how many muggles saw him, he drove into the sky at full speed towards Godric's Hollow.

Sirius landed with a loud bang as he descended down the Potter's street and jumped off as soon as it halted to a stopped. No. It was all he could think of. No. He ran towards the Potter's house that had been blown apart. From the sky he had seen the gaping hole in the roof where the nursery had been. No. The roof shingles and bits of stone and wood were strewn around the garden. James. Lily. No. Sprinting down the gravel path, Sirius headed towards the front door and saw a figure moving in the living room.

"Reveal yourself!" he yelled, pointing his wand at the figure hoping that it was just James and the destruction was just a spell gone wrong.

"Calm down, Sirius, it's only me, Hagrid."

Hagrid who was hunched over, stood in front of the light emitted from Sirius' wand. Recognising the half-giant's hairy features, Sirius lowered his wand and rushed up the stairs. No. No. No. James. His knees buckled beneath him as a sharp pain sliced through him, ripping through his thumping heart and coursed through him like the seismic waves of an earthquake. NO! He reached his hands out and held his best friend's head. Dead. His best friend was dead. Deceased. Gone. Sirius clutched the wall for support, sobbing over James' body. He had sworn to protect them from the Dark Lord, to die for them and here he was collapsed on the floor beside him while his own heart kept beating and James' had stopped. He had failed. He had failed him. He had failed to protec - but it wasn't his failure. It was Peter's. Peter was the Secret-Keeper for the Potters! Peter was the one who had betrayed them, betrayed him! No wonder his house was in order; he willingly told Lord Voldemort of the Potter's whereabouts that bloody traitor! He told him! And now James and Lily were dead because they had put their faith in that weak, tactless thing who betrayed them instead of died for them!

A firm hand squeezed his shoulder.

"There, there, Sirius," Hagrid consoled as he wiped his own cheeks with his handkerchief.

All Sirius could do was wail and hold onto the giant's leg. "I failed them!" He had failed to see the traitorous side of his friend!

"Shh. Shh. You didn't fail, Sirius - young Harry and Christine are alive. J-James and Lily would be glad that their children are safe."

C-children? Harry? Christine? Alive? Sirius brushed away his tears and looked up at the giant. In his arms were two children, one was fast asleep while the other was eyeing Hagrid inquisitively. They were alive! Sirius cleared his throat and stood up.

"What happened to his head?" Sirius' voice faltering as he brushed his thumb over the sleeping child's wound.

"Dunno, I found him in his nursery with... with uhh… with L-Lily."

Another pin prodded Sirius's heart at the mention of her name. Lily. James. Gone. Sirius brushed his index finger over Christine's cheek and lifted her chin. The little girl watched him curiously, her hazel eyes never leaving her godfather's sombre gaze. Hagrid loosened his hold of her and slipped her into Sirius' arms. The child felt like an awkward melon in his arms. He was incapable of holding her properly with all these conflicting and incompatible emotions mixing inside of him like a potion in a cauldron. He was relieved yet heartbroken, furious yet in somewhat of a daze as the concept of death floated above his head like a fuzzy cloud, but he had to focus. Lily and James were dead so he was now Harry and Christine's guardian. He had to take them to a safe place before he can deal with his emotions. Deal with Pettigrew. Finally getting Christine comfortably settled in his arms, he gestured for Harry and stood up straighter. He had to stay strong for the little ones. But Hagrid shook his head.

"I'm afraid Dumbledore's asked me to take Harry to his aunt's."

"But I'm his godfather! I am the guardian of both children if Lily and James…" He couldn't say it. He couldn't.

"I can't, Sirius."

"James would've wanted me to take care of them and why would you take him to his magic-hating muggle aunt? She hated Lily and I'm pretty sure that she'll hate him!"

"Dumbledore's orders, Sirius."

"Hagrid, I'm telling yo-"

"Sirius. Listen to me. Somethin' happened last night, somethin' big that caused You-Know-Who to disappear. I know yer his godfather and I know ye love him, but I think you should trust Dumbledore's decision. Harry ain't no ordinary baby, he did somethin' that made the Dark Lord go away."

Sirius glanced at James and then to Harry and sighed. He didn't like the idea of Harry being sent off to live with a bunch of wizard haters but he knew that James and Lily would want the best for their children and that he shouldn't disobey Dumbledore's orders or doubt his decisions.

"Are you sure he has to go? Is there no other way?" he asked. Hagrid shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sirius."

Sirius looked sadly at the sleeping boy, stroked his forehead and kissed his tiny hand good luck.

"Okay."

"We best be goin' now – we don't want them muggles finding us here," Hagrid deduced as he began to clamber down the stairs.

Sirius looked at Christine and then to James and gave a firm nod.

"Uhh Hagrid." The giant turned around. "You can take my motorbike – I won't need it anymore."

Hagrid nodded his thanks and with one last glance around the Potter's house, Sirius disapparated.

The pair appeared in front of his house with a small pop and entered the building in complete silence. Sirius transfigured one of the armchairs by the fireplace into a crib and summoned a jar from the kitchen in which he inserted a flickering blue flame and set it on the table by the crib – something Lily had mentioned Christine had an affinity for which lulled the sweet ignorant child to sleep. Sirius plopped himself onto the other armchair and turned to look at the girl whose eyelids were steadily drooping lower and lower. He had never thought that it would come to this; him being the sole guardian of James' and Lily's child. He had always thought that he would only be their godfather, or 'Uncle Sirius' as Lily liked to put it; the one who would secretly spoil them behind their parents' backs; the one whom they'd look forward to having visits from…

But due to a tragic twist of events, he was now solely responsible for the wellbeing of this child, something that seemed completely out of his league; he hadn't the slightest idea on how to raise a child.

Sirius buried his face in his hands and raked his fingers through his black locks. He knew when dawn broke the whole wizarding world would be jumping with joy with the news that Lord Voldemort was gone, but he was far from the mood of celebrating. Too many people had died these past eleven years and last night Lily and James had joined them. Sirius' jaw clenched as he remembered what he had established in the Potter's house.

Peter was a traitor.

There was no denying the rage that was simmering within him; he had placed his wand by the jar just in case he accidentally blew up the place, but along with this rage was disbelief. He could not believe that his friend would betray him and James. He could not believe that he would be so treacherous and do such a misdeed for his own interests. Sirius' stiffened in his seat. There was no way he could let his traitorous friend get away with this. Never! He will find that little rat, demand why he betrayed them and bring him to justice. It was what James would've done and what he would like him to do. Sirius sat by the fire gazing into the flames for a while as he thought.

He could not leave Christine by herself unprotected. Even though the Dark Lord was gone, his raging lunatics were still roaming about. He couldn't leave her with Remus. As much as he was his best friend, he still had his suspicions about him and Remus wouldn't want to be alone with an innocent child especially with it being so close to the next full moon. Who did he trust to leave this precious child with? Who did he deem to be capable of protecting her while he went looking for Peter? Who can take care of a child? He pondered for several moments as he mentally analysed each possible candidate and in the end there was no better choice than his favourite cousin, Andromeda.

Sirius stood up and walked over to the crib where Christine was sleeping. He would leave Christine at his cousin's tomorrow in the morning. Yes, he would leave her at Andromeda's while he searched for Peter and then he would return and raise her to be the daughter James and Lily would've wanted her to be. With this in mind, he kissed Christine on the forehead goodnight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer - The world of Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and various publishers. I make no claim of ownership except for the story that I've created from using this world as well as characters that I've made.**

* * *

Chapter 2.

Andromeda flipped the pancakes, slid them onto two plates and placed them on the table while her husband paid for that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet. It was another beautiful day, just like the one before where almost every witch and wizard felt that they could release the stale breath that had been smothering them since the beginning of You-Know-Who's terrorising reign. After hearing the news, Andromeda had felt as if a load had been lifted off her shoulders as the thought of being persecuted by Death Eaters for being, what her fanatical sisters like to call, a 'blood traitor' ebbed away along with the predawn autumn chill. She began to eat her breakfast with a smile – she had not felt so relieved in months.

"Merlin's beard! Sirius was the culprit of yesterday's explosion!"

The sound of a fork clattering against the plate resonated in her ears as Edward rushed to her side and showed her the front page. She had heard from yesterday's evening news that there had been a large explosion in a city street which killed several Muggles and that the culprit had not yet been revealed by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but she had never thought that her cousin, Sirius, would have anything to do with it. The majority of the page was covered with a black and white picture of her cousin in chains violently resisting the Aurors' attempts to restrain him while the fat black letters of the headline blared:

**MASS MURDERER CONVICTED**

M-mass murderer? That couldn't possibly be right – Sirius would never kill anyone. Andromeda snatched the paper from her husband's hands and scanned through the article.

_Sirius Black, cousin of known Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, has been convicted of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles from yesterday's explosion in a busy city street. Black has also been convicted for giving the information of the Potter's whereabouts which had led to the deaths of Lily and James Potter and being of service to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. _

_The mass murder occurred yesterday during the mid-morning hours where Junior Minister of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophe, Cornelius Fudge, witnessed the event._

_"He was laughing maniacally I tell you! He was insane!" the Junior Minister commented. (ctd. Page 2, column 5)_

Andromeda shakily turned to the second page, but could not continue reading after a couple of paragraphs. This was not the Sirius she knew. This was not the Sirius who had dropped off his goddaughter at her house the previous morning. Death Eater? Murder? It was implausible! Yet there was a chance that it could've been possible. He had been rather abrupt and agitated when she saw him and had appeared at her house without warning before leaving just as quickly. The odd behaviour must have been caused by Peter Pettigrew. After all they had been friends since they were young children. Maybe Peter knew about Sirius' true loyalty to You-Know-Who and Sirius had gone off that morning to silence him. After all the whole Black family was crawling with Death Eaters – Bellatrix and her husband, Regulus, but why leave the daughter of the Potters alive? Why not kill her as well? He certainly had the chance to. Andromeda rested her head against her husband and closed her eyes. But it seemed so out of character for him to join the dark side. He was always fiercely loyal to his friends and had always been so supportive of her marriage – what happened?

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the stairs creak and out appeared a small girl with mousy brown hair.

"U-Uhh… Nymphadora, dear, is Christine awake?" she asked, giving an uneasy upward glance at her husband.

"Nope, not yet."

Nymphadora gave her parents a weird expression as she watched them clamber upstairs discussing something in hushed tones, but dismissed their strange behaviour with a shrug and went on preparing her Pixie Puffs.

"What are we going to do, Edward? What's going to happen to Christine now that Sirius is in Azkaban?"

"Calm down, Dromeda," Edward consoled as he squeezed her arm gently. "We'll sort this out, you know we will."

"I'm just worried about her, Ted, now with Lily, James and Sirius gone. I can't bear the idea of her ending up in some Muggle orphanage. Imagine how alone she would feel! How sad she would be!"

Andromeda stared into the room. What was she going to do?

"We could adopt her." Dromeda looked up into her husband's eyes, shocked. Never has he expressed the desire to have another child.

"A-are you sure, Ted?"

"Only if you want to," he replied, stroking her brown hair. "I can see that you care about her very much and I love that about you; your compassion."

Andromeda wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. She was so right to have followed her heart and married him, even if he was muggleborn. But honestly, she didn't even care what his blood status was – none of it mattered because if she had 'married respectably' she doubted that she would've ended up with someone who would've loved her as much as she loved him.

"I should be getting to work now, but owl Dumbledore for tea this evening – he'll definitely want to know!"

They kissed each other goodbye and Andromeda watched as her husband disappeared down the stairs before stepping inside Dora's room. Across from her daughter's bed was a crib where Christine was sleeping. Another daughter. The thought bounced around her mind like a quaffle being thrown back and forth between two chasers. She certainly wouldn't mind having another daughter. But could they afford having another child in the house? Ted's job at the Ministry may not pay as handsomely as some of the others, but they were getting along well enough. Besides his co-worker, Arthur, was definitely doing alright and he has seven children! Surely, she and Ted could handle one more!

Christine's eyes fluttered open and began searching the ceiling for something. She rolled onto her stomach and looked up to find the jar perched on the drawers behind her. Andromeda picked her up and inspected the flame flickering inside the jar. Sirius had never told her what this was other than that Christine liked it. Oh Sirius. She still wasn't completely swayed by the article she had read earlier – the Sirius she knew was not the Sirius described in the article. But what's done is done, and there was not much that she could do about it now.

Dora dragged the Daily Prophet to her side of the table to continue her morning ritual of waking up at seven thirty, going downstairs to eat Pixie Puffs, reading the Kids Corner in the Daily Prophet and then attempting to complete the puzzles on the same page. However the large black and white picture on the front page caught her eye. The man seemed familiar; she had seen him here before. She heard the stairs creak and took another spoonful of Pixie Puffs.

"Mummy, why is Uncle Sirius in the paper?"

Her mother looked at her slightly shocked but the expression was soon replaced with one of concentration. Dora knew that face; it was one where her mother was going to try to form an answer that wouldn't tell her the full story. Dora hated it when her parents did that; she preferred them to tell her the whole truth no matter how bad it was. After preparing some baby food, Andromeda transfigured one of the chairs into a highchair and sat Christine in it ignoring her daughter's stare.

"Sirius has done a very bad thing, dearie, so now he's in Azkaban."

Azkaban? The wizard prison where bad people go? Dora looked at the picture once more. He did look rather scary and a lot of scary people were in Azkaban. Dora pursed her lips. Children had to live with their parents and if Sirius was living in Azkaban did that mean…

"Is she going to Azkaban as well?" she asked, tilting her head towards Christine who was being fed some creamy mush.

Andromeda felt the corners of her mouth curl up in amusement. Oh the innocent minds of young children!

"No, no, silly, she's not going to Azkaban," she replied with a gentle laugh.

"Is she staying here then?" Dora's eyes lit up while her hair turned into a shade of bubblegum pink.

"Maybe, Dora, maybe."

* * *

Andromeda hurried around the house flicking her wand at the dishes which began to wash themselves in the sink and the sponge which wiped down the dining table and kitchen counters. Once the house was all tidy again, she put the kettle on and searched through the cupboards for some gingerbread biscuits. Christine and Nymphadora's animated squeals and laughter could be heard all over the house. The pair were playing with some blocks that Ted had bought on a whim. The game involved Dora building several structures before encouraging Christine to knock them down. By the time the kettle shrilly whistled, a knock came from the door. Ted and his wife looked at each other. Dumbledore had arrived. Andromeda poured the steaming water into a teapot and set it on the tray on the coffee table in the living room while Ted went to answer the door.

"C'mon now, Dora, time to go upstairs – mummy and daddy's got some business to do."

She gathered Christine in her arms while Dora picked up the colourful blocks off the ground and the three went upstairs. Noticing that it wasn't yet bedtime and that Nymphadora would complain, she warned her to keep quiet if she wanted to play with Christine.

Once outside the door, Andromeda wrung her fingers and took two deep breaths before heading back downstairs where her husband and a tall thin man in red robes were talking.

"Ahh! Andromeda! This tea is definitely what I needed on a cold night like this! It's so nicely paired with the spices in these gingerbread biscuits."

"Thank you, Dumbledore."

She sat on the sofa next to Ted who wrapped his arm around her. It had been years since she had last seen Dumbledore and she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated in his presence. Nervously she cupped her tea, allowing it's heat to soothe her nerves. However the thoughts that plagued her mind all day didn't appear to be disappearing anytime soon.

"You should give me the recipe some time, Andromeda," Dumbledore said before he took another bite and slowly chewed, savouring the spices. "I would love to bake some of these."

He placed it back down on his saucer and reached into a pocket of his robes. Andromeda could not help but stare at the small golden bell Dumbledore had tied around his long silvery beard. It was a rather odd accessory but it fitted nicely with his outfit.

"Would you two like a sherbet lemon? They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."

"I guess one couldn't hurt," Ted conceded, smiling. "Merlin's beard! I haven't had one of these since I was a little boy! Are they as sour as I remember them to be?"

"Well, Ted, you and I aren't the same person so what might be sweet for me might be sour to you."

The pair laughed and Ted plopped the yellow sweet into his mouth and settled in his seat. Andromeda nudged her husband determined for the meeting to go straight to business – she could not handle the torture her mind was giving her.

Ted cleared his throat.

"I guess you're wondering why we called you here tonight, Dumbledore," Ted started with his familiar jovial tone.

He squeezed Dromeda's hand, obviously receiving her message. It was another thing she loved about him – his ability to understand her. Dumbledore smiled with a playful twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, I am. If I may guess, you've invited me here for something more than tea and biscuits – a fireworks display, perhaps?"

Andromeda glanced at her husband, unsure if she wanted to break the cheery atmosphere.

"No, no we just wanted to discuss about Christine Potter," said Andromeda.

"Ahh, yes, Christine." Dumbledore's eyes grew a little distant and void of its twinkle. "It is tragic how so much misfortune has happened to the little girl. Yet it appears that she too has disappeared." He paused for a moment to brush the crumbs off his long silvery beard, the bell tinkling as he did. "Though it _is_ a wee bit strange for you two to bring her up. Is there something you wish to tell me?"

Dumbledore looked at the Tonks with his blue eyes as if he were sifting through their minds. Andromeda shifted uncomfortably in her seat, noticing how the atmosphere had suddenly turned very grave. It was obvious that Dumbledore had had a close relationship with the Potters and that he had been deeply affected by the tragedy, even though he was quite well at concealing it prior to the mentioning of Christine's name. He was an extremely strong person, Andromeda thought. Extremely resilient. She imagined that he had experienced several tragedies throughout his lifetime but still managed to pick himself up wiser and stronger than before.

"Yes, Sirius dropped her off here yesterday morning."

"Did he?" Dumbledore placed down his tea and looked at Andromeda with surprise. "Does anyone else know?"

"Only us. Sirius intended to come back for her, but due to recent events, we called you here tonight to discuss where Christine will be staying."

Dumbledore gazed out the window deep in thought.

"Christine does have relatives from her mother's side," he started, "but something tells me that they currently have their hands full. It would make sense for you to be her guardians – after all you are Sirius' cousin and his favourite one at that." He turned to the Tonks, looking very grave. "Though I will warn you, if you go ahead with this there will be a high level of secrecy and caution involved."

The Tonks looked at each other confused but shuffled closer to the man eager to hear what he had to say.

"How so?"

"If what the Daily Prophet is claiming to be true – that Sirius Black is indeed a Death Eater, Christine may still be in danger."

"I don't understand – isn't You-Know-Who dead?"

"Personally, I don't believe so. Voldemort–" The Tonks winced. "–will never be truly gone when there are still people willing to serve him." Dumbledore leaned closer to the Tonks as if he was planning to diverge his deepest secrets. "Very few people know of Christine's existence," he continued in a grim tone, "It would be prudent if Christine's identity be unknown to her and concealed from the world until there is a time when it is truly safe or necessary for it to be revealed. Were she to grow up under your roof, she must take up your surname and become your daughter."

Dumbledore leaned back and sipped his tea. He quietly watched the couple as they slowly digested the terms and conditions. They had never thought that there would be so much caution involved with taking in Christine, but with the dark era having just recently ended only a fool would completely let their guard down. Ted frowned.

"If Christine was to take up our last name and all of that, what about the documents that state her identity and the Trace? Surely someone at the Ministry would find out."

A moment of silence spread between the three. Dumbledore finished chewing on the gingerbread biscuit and looked thoughtfully at the Tonks over the top of his half-moon spectacles.

"At this current point in time, Ted, the Ministry is assuming that Christine has been murdered by Sirius after she was put into his custody upon Lily and James' death. However since it is obvious that she is alive, her name is still on the list of students who will attend Hogwarts in the future, but being Headmaster, I can easily alter it so that it will show your surname instead. As for the Trace, due to the uncontrollable nature of a child's magic prior to their schooling at Hogwarts, the Ministry tend to ignore these notifications. However, once she is in Hogwarts I advise you to be strict about her use of magic outside of school as we do not want to alert the Ministry of a supposedly deceased Christine Rose Potter performing underage magic in the countryside."

Seemingly answering all of the Tonks' questions, the meeting became cheerful again. As the minutes passed, Andromeda became less and less intimidated by Dumbledore and joined in on the conversations about the celebrations that had taken place the night before.

After finishing his third biscuit, Dumbledore thanked the Tonks for their hospitality before asking to see Christine. The pair obliged and led him up the stairs where they found the two little girls fast asleep on the floor. The three adults chuckled softly and Dumbledore asked if he could hold the younger of the two girls. As Andromeda and her husband carried Dora to her bed and tucked her in, Dumbledore carried Christine to a nearby window and looked out, his eyes twinkling like the stars.

"Let the night's light shine upon you and purge the darkness that has so far consumed a life ignorant to you," he murmured. "You're in safe hands now, Christine."

Once the two girls were in bed, Dumbledore bade Andromeda and her husband good luck and goodnight. As they watched the wizard disappear into the night, Andromeda kissed her husband on the cheek, overjoyed that Christine would grow up in a happy loving home.

All they needed to do was figure out how to tell Nymphadora.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to those who favourited, followed and/or reviewed the first chapter! I greatly appreciate it, especially the reviews which were all either insightful, encouraging and/or critically constructive. I had not been expecting any at all so thanks again! ^.^**

**Dumbledore was so hard to write for in this one. .**

**Have a nice day everyone!**

**X**


End file.
